Soracle deal includes plans to purchase up to 100 Archer eVTOLs
November 8, 2024
Japan Airlines’ and Sumitomo Corporation’s joint venture (JV), named Soracle, has unveiled plans to acquire up to 100 Midnight aircraft from California-based Archer Aviation, in a deal worth approximately US$500 million.
Archer’s piloted Midnight electric aircraft is designed to carry up to four passengers with carry-on luggage for back-to-back flights of 20-50 miles with minimal charge time and is 100 x quieter than a helicopter at cruising altitudes.
The agreement with Soracle will grant it the right to order up to 100 of the aircraft with pre-delivery payments at production milestones as part of the commitment. It also builds on several other agreements for Midnight orders with advanced air transportation startup Future Flight Global announcing a US$580 million deal to purchase up to 116 of the eVTOLS in August, and Korea-based KakaoMobility signing an agreement to purchase up to 50 of the aircraft back in June.
In line with its plans to develop flight routes that will appeal to those living in residential areas as well as domestic and international visitors. Soracle plans to launch its advanced air mobility (AAM) operations in Japan using Archer’s Midnight eVTOLs. Locations where it sees these routes taking off include areas with particularly high density traffic, such as Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Hokkaido, Setouchi and Okinawa.
Soracle’s CEO Yukihiro Ota underlined that the operation of eVTOLS will “enrich lives and society by creating more accessible air transportation services in Japan.” He added that the JV will leverage the expertise of both Japan Airlines and Sumitomo to provide “safe and reliable services to passengers by making the most of the wealth of knowledge we have accumulated.”
Archer and Soracle will work alongside the Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) to obtain the necessary permissions and certifications to develop its eVTOL network with discussions already underway to certify the aircraft in Japan.
Andrew Cummins, senior director of business development at Archer, underlined the significance of the deal as he said that “Japan is widely respected for its forward thinking approach to transportation and this investment into AAM is yet another example of that.” He added that the eVTOL developer is “proud to stand with Soracle ahead of this new era of flight.”
Archer and Soracle are aiming to conduct a public flight demonstration at the World Expo in Osaka in April 2025, as an initial step towards commercialising AAM services in Japan.
